The
Chumash Indian homeland lies along the coast of California, between
Malibu and Paso Robles, as well as on the Northern Channel Islands. Before the Mission
Period, the Chumash lived in 150 independent villages with a total population of about 18,000
people. In different parts of the region, people spoke different but related
languages.

The area was first settled about 13,000 years ago. Over time,
the population increased and the people adapted their lifeways to the
local environment. Villages along the coastline, on the islands and in
the interior had access to different resources, which they traded with
one another.

This trade was made possible in part by the seagoing plank canoe, or tomol,
which was invented about 2,000 years ago. In addition to the plank canoe,
the Chumash are known for their fine basketry, their mysterious cave paintings
and their money made from shells.

Today, there are still many people who can trace their ancestry back to these
historic Chumash communities. Now you can learn more about how the Chumash people
once lived, what customs they practiced, how they made money and what kinds of food
they ate.

This website includes information about the Chumash people's daily lives, as well
as resources archived by the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History. Visit the
museum and experience the Chumash people, "the ones who make
shell bead money."

This site makes use of Java Script and is
graphics-intensive. Best viewing resolution: 800x600.

This Tishle' blade is the only surviving example of a Chumash tomol paddle. The paddle was collected during Vancouver's visit to the Santa
Barbara area in 1793 and presently resides in the British Museum collection.